Striving for Equity of Care

48% of health care organizations will have standardized collection of social determinants of health data by 2023.

Futurescan graph of social determinants of health data collection

In Futurescan 2018-2023, Eugene A. Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health and immediate past chair of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees, offers thoughtful insights on the link between health care disparities and the social determinants of health.

His article in the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development’s (SHSMD’s) annual guide to health care trends points out that, despite providers’ best intentions, enormous differences exist in health care quality, access, and outcomes because of factors of race, ethnicity, income, and geography. 

To help providers address the problem and measure their progress, he stresses the importance of data collection regarding the social determinants of health. According to the Futurescan national survey, the field is moving in that direction. Forty-eight percent of responding hospital and health system leaders indicated their organizations will have implemented a standardized process for gathering such data by 2023.

To learn more about efforts to improve health care equity and a variety of other emerging trends, order your copy of SHSMD’s Futurescan publication from the SHSMD online store or visit SHSMD’s website.